Full - Using archive bit(reset archive bit) takes all files even if those without archive bit ??

[Knucklehead]

Hi,
We backup MS SQL Server databases to disk with an third part application.
Backup Exec takes a full backup of the files from disk to tape with "Full - Using archive bit(reset archive bit) " once a week
The problem I have is that Backup Exec takes all files not just the ones with archive bit set , but it resets the archive bit on the files that have it ?
We store two weeks of full backup files and Backup Exec should only take the latest file on disk.

I really can't figure it out why it behaves like this :(

We have another job that takes the daily diff and trans but those are not really related because those files are on another directory
This job have backup method = Full - Copy the files and doesn't handle the full backup files..

Suggestions anyone ?

Thanks in advance
//T
 

[Hemant_Jain · Accepted solution]

Full backup will always backup everything, and not just the ones with archive bit set. If you want to backup only the ones with archive bit set, then you must do incremental or differential backup. Incremental would backup only the ones with archive bit set and then reset the archive bit, whereas differential would not reset the archive bit. So, if i am getting it correct, there is nothing wrong with this behaviour.

Please mark it a solution, if this is useful.
Thanks

[Colin_Weaver]

BESymc has more or less answerd the question but to put a little more detail:

Full (with reset Archive bit) = Backup all files in the selection and unset the archive bit
Full (Copy) = Backup all the files in the selection and don't change the status of the archive bit
Incremental (with reset archive bit) = Backup only files in the selection that have the archive bit set  and then unset the archive bit on those files
Differential = Backup all files that have the archive bit set, but leave the archive bit set

Any change to the file system outside of Backup Exec - i.e. a file modify or a file write causes the archive bit to be set on the file in question.

So you probably need to be doing Incremental backups of the folder that you export your SQL data to.

BTW I hope you did not pay for the 3rd party application you are using to export the SQL data as if you did you would probably be better off with the SQL Agent. The free backup/dump option built into SQL is used in a number of environments instead of the agent but does result to 2 phase backup and restore processes.

[Knucklehead]

Of course you are right :)
Thanks, I'll change to incremental..

//T

[Knucklehead]

Hi Colin,
The third part application is a Backup solution for SQL server that uses compression and we use it to backup our databases to disk.
We have really large and a lot of databases and native backup is not an option.

Thanks for our answer.
//T

[Colin_Weaver]

OK the information about the 3rd party software sort of makes sense, however,  just for information the Backup Exec Remote Agent for SQL would also have compressed the result (either to BKF file or tape)